Elite Event: Chef’s Dinner at Mingos

Better late than never, my review that is…
I was one of the lucky Elite Unilocaler to join this wonderful event at Mingos.
I was really impressed with the décor. Very modern and reminded me of being in NYC. Somewhere hip like the meatpacking district or the latest hot spot. A cross between Ocean Prime and Ruth Chris. Located near Lake Eola area.
There was a seven course dinner offered, paired with red and white wine. Unfortunately being almost 9 months pregnant I couldn’t sample the wine. I was very impressed with the several courses offered especially the filet mignon with foie gras.
I noticed on their menu they have a great happy hour. Different from other high end restaurants they home delivery service for weekly meals. Healthy lifestyle cuisine. Also, brunch on the weekends.

As I stated in the caption of one of my photos, this event felt like I was attending a private dinner party, hosted by Mingos and the fabulous Andi P. There were only maybe 10 – 15 of us total, so we shared one long table with assigned seats. At first I wasn’t so sure about the assigned seating, however I made some awesome new Unilocal friends, so no complaints!
From the moment I walked in, I could see how happy the Mingos staff was to be hosting us. We were greeted by a slew of friendly managers and servers, and were offered the drink of the night, the « Unilocal Berry” — champagne with muddled raspberries– amazing! Light and refreshing. Once we sat down, we had some goodies from Andi, including a little gold Buddha for good luck (which now looks over me on a shelf in my dining room to remind me of the great meal and company from last night), and a handwritten note along with a print out of our first 5 star reviews (mine was a Krispy Kreme event– holla!). The table was so pretty I didn’t want to move anything.
Our first course– the Gigamoto Oyster, was a great start. I enjoyed the lime mignonette on top, it gave it a different flavor from the usual hot sauce I pour on them. Up next was the Summer Salad, which was interesting. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was, with beets and turnips. The dressing was so tasty I really wanted to lick the plate clean. But this was a fancy, grown up dinner party, so I refrained.
I’ll admit I kinda laughed and even sent a picture to friends of the Vegetable Consommé before the broth was poured in. A big bowl with just a few mushrooms and cauliflower didn’t seem like much. But the most fragrant broth was poured over, and it was perfection. I am not really a soup person this time of year, but I will definitely order it when I come back.
It will be hard to choose between the Confit Chicken Risotto, Chilean Sea Bass, and Filet Mignon next time. I think I need to convince two other people to come with me, and each order these dishes so we can share. So. Good. If I had to choose, maybe the sea bass was the winner, but really it was a three way tie.
So if you are keeping count, we were served six courses at this point. Though it was a tasting menu and they weren’t the normal portions, it was still a lot of food! So what next? How about a fudgey dark chocolatey insanity that turns into chocolate mousse in your mouth? Words fail me if I try to even explain. Just go there and order it!
I should also add in addition to the amazing servers keeping our wine glasses full throughout the night, we were also treated to a champagne toast in honor of Meghan R.‘s birthday. A classy touch! I could really feel the passion for entertaining and serving good food the staff has, as they were eager to answer any questions and guide us through what wines to pair with each course. There’s nothing better than service from someone who is excited about what they do. Kudos to the servers!
I think it is safe to say that was one of my most favorite Unilocal events. I highly recommend Mingo’s for your next date night, happy hour, celebration, or random Tuesday night. I know I will be back, and I cannot wait to bring others to enjoy a wonderful meal.

Amazing!
It just so happened that this Elite event fell on my 35^th birthday, so I was super excited when I was one of the small group of folks picked to attend. This was definitely the best Elite event turned birthday dinner ever!
We had a 6 course meal with perfect portions so that you could enjoy everything and not leave feeling like you were going to explode. Earlier in the day Andi shared the menu with us and asked if anyone had any dietary restrictions. One of the items on the menu was Filet and I don’t eat steak so I let her know. Right before that course came out I asked if she got my email and she told me they knew. As they were bringing out the steaks I noticed that they were skipping me. I thought I’d just be skipping that course and was fine with it. Then AJ, our head server, brought me over the most beautiful plate. They had substituted the steak with a scallop! It was prepared the same way the steak was and it was amazing. I was so impressed!
The service didn’t stop there! When it came time for dessert they came out with a special one just for me that said Happy birthday Meghan on the plate. Also, everyone at the table got champagne… this is something they always do for their guests if they are celebrating a birthday. It all made me feel so special.
Every part of last night was perfect! The atmosphere, the service, the food, and the company. Andi did assigned seating and I loved it. I got to make some new Unilocal friends which I really enjoyed.
Thanks so much to Andi, Unilocal,and MIngos for a wonderful evening and great birthday!